The common room was packed when I entered the next morning. I was up later than I wanted to be. I’d had to find a bathhouse that was still open last night, which in Dustreach meant I wandered around the city for an hour.

  After I checked to make sure no one else was down yet, I chose a table near the door and got settled in to wait. The [Waitress] who stopped at my table was an older woman, somewhere in her middle years, with plenty of smile lines and a stained grey apron. I ordered breakfast for myself and let her know four other people would join me shortly.

  The rest of my party came down within minutes of each other and right before breakfast arrived. Maggie didn’t reach the common room until Mika, Ellen, and Nora all got their food. The [Waitress] seemed slightly annoyed at the coincidence, but I thought it was amusing.

  We ate in silence for the most part, our conversations brief and centered on the gossip we overheard.

  “So, where do you want to have this conversation?” Maggie asked and interrupted our eavesdropping on a man complaining to his friend about a merchant selling him inferior copper.

  “Conversation?” Mika asked.

  “Your post battle run down. I’ll lead this one and the next couple afterwards, but I want you all to get in the habit of running through it yourselves.”

  “Can’t we just do it here?” Ellen asked, still half paying attention to the conversation about the copper.

  “We could, but I recommend one of your rooms or in one of the Guild meeting rooms. They should have a couple free at this time of day, but the sooner the better.”

  “Is there a fee?”

  “A small one, five silver per hour.”

  We ended up in Maggie’s room, where she used that magic item to create a bubble of silence around us again.

  Maggie’s room was far nicer than anyone else’s, and came equipped with its own bathroom, a desk, and several cushioned chairs.

  “This’ll take at least an hour, so get comfortable.” Maggie said and sank down into a plush highbacked chair embroidered with an image of a rearing stallion.

  We all followed suit, and I took a spot on the edge of the bed.

  “First, I want you all to go around and list something you could have done better or will need to fix for the next engagement. Do not say something about your party mates, only yourself. Mika you’re up.”

  “I need to better test my rune series before I rely on them. I thought the speaking rune would work, but something in the series broke with the distance. Also, I need to come up with backup plans. We only had one and everything fell on Bran when things went to shit.”

  “Good. Ellen.”

  Ellen looked surprised and paused to consider.

  “We’ll come back to you, Bran.”

  “I’ve been sloppy. I should have checked each door as we passed it. Tina should have never been able to ambush me like that. I also need to pay better attention to my casters. I was too focused on the battle in front of me. I should have noticed when Nora started to exhaust herself.”

  “Nora.”

  “I need to conserve mana better.” She said without hesitation. “I got nervous and pumped too much mana into my mist spell.”

  Nora stopped, but Maggie didn’t move on. Slowly, a blush climbed into Nora’s cheeks and, sheepish, she shrunk into herself before she spoke.

  “I shouldn’t have cast that last spell.”

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  “Correct. Bran was in command at that moment. He fought with a crippled leg to keep you safe and you still almost cripple yourself to fire off one last weak spell.” Maggie’s tone was harsh, but not unfair. She was using this as a teaching moment, rather than a time to tear Nora down.

  Maggie’s eyes burned into Nora’s until she gave a weak nod. When her gaze fell back to Ellen, I gave Nora’s shoulder a quick bump and returned my attention back to the meeting.

  “I was too passive. There were moments I could have stepped up and taken some of the load off of Bran. I also got stunned by Tina’s appearance and should have been able to reach her, or at least alert Bran before she could attack.”

  “Great. I want you all to keep those things in the back of your mind, for when we have our next battle, odds are they’ll hire you to join the war in the Under Tunnels. My hope is that as you all continue to work together, things will get easier and more fluid.”

  We spent another hour going over specific moments in the fight, and things we need to change or could have done better. We also spent a good amount of time on the things we thought we did well, both for ourselves and for the others. When Maggie dismissed us, it was with the knowledge that we had a week to relax until our slot for the Under Tunnels arrived. Before I could leave, however, Maggie asked me to stay back so we could discuss my skills.

  I pulled up my status and focused on the class skill prompt, a list of five choices scrolled down from above to steady in front of my eyes.

  Congratulations! For reaching level five in the class [Grove Guard] you may now choose another class skill!

  -Beginner’s Woodcraft -> A generalized guide on how to survive in the forest.

  -Woodland Pulse -> A basic meditation technique designed to distribute wood attuned mana through a person’s heart into their body.

  -Rooted Stance -> Project small roots of mana into the ground beneath you to steady yourself against a charge or hold the line against an enemy advance.

  -Nature’s Shield -> Use your aura to project a small shield.

  -Canopy’s Shelter -> Use your aura to draw in strength from the trees around you.

  I read the skills aloud to Maggie. She leant back in her chair and brought her feet up against the ottoman to steady herself as the chair almost tipped.

  ”Y’know, my least favorite thing about the first watershed is how much choice gets thrown at you, all at once.” She contemplated.

  That felt like the beginning of a lecture, so I just raised an eyebrow and let her continue.

  “Think about it. In your first tier alone, you get two class skills at least if you don’t master any along the way. Not to mention three general skills on average. All of which you need to take time out of your day to learn. Part of me wishes the System would just blast our heads full of knowledge on how to do things instantly.”

  “Would that not invalidate the effort and skill it takes to truly be great at something?” I asked.

  “It would, but gods, would it be satisfying.” Maggie said, almost wistfully. “Another part of me wishes I could just chuck you kids into an academy or something. Somewhere you’d be able to devote as much time as possible to your skills, both System granted and not.”

  Maggie cast her eyes around the room, pausing on all the pieces of art or finery before she put her head back and sighed.

  “That was why they founded the first academy, you know? So kids could have a helpful environment to develop their skills with instructors to substitute knowledge that wasn’t available, and peers to train against.”

  I hadn’t known that. My only experience with academies came from books and that one time a theology professor from Hymeri took a tour through the Emerald Ocean. As the Grace Mother’s chosen, she’d interviewed me briefly, but some things I’d said about my role in the Cult displeased the woman and she cut the interview short.

  “What about my skills?” I asked. “Any advice on what I should choose?”

  “Nature’s Shield and Woodland Pulse. They have the most long-term use in my eyes. Even if you don’t focus on mana in the future Woodland Pulse reads like a gateway into more powerful skills. Out of the aura skills on offer Nature’s Shield will probably offer growth the longest.”

  We sat in silence, Maggie content to wait as I mulled over what she’d said. Viscerally Nature’s Shield appealed most. It was an aura skill that would probably see long-term use and expanded my ability to hold a frontline.

  The idea that Woodland Pulse would be a gateway skill kept coming back to me, however. Tier one classes are always meant to be foundational, not especially powerful, but things that set the groundwork and provide the skills and stats required to excel at the higher tiers.

  With a focus of will, I selected Woodland Pulse and let the feeling of the skill settle over me.

  “What’d you choose?” Maggie asked, head still back against the chair, her eyes on the ceiling.

  “Woodland Pulse.”

  “Smart, it’s what I would’ve chosen too. Anything else you want help with?” Maggie asked and took her feet down from the ottoman. The legs of the chair landed back on the hardwood floor with a dull thump.

  “I’ve got two general skills available but I want some time to look over what’s available. Do you mind if I come back and ask later today or tomorrow?”

  “That’s what I’m here for Bran. My entire job is to make sure you four become the best adventurer possible. I’d do you and the whole world a disservice if I said no.” Maggie answered. “Take as much time as you need.”

  Rather than return straight to my room, I went back down to the common room in search of a drink and a library. I’d been telling myself since we left Woodsedge that I’d find a bestiary, with the side benefit of using that time to clear my head.

  What I didn’t expect was to find Nora seated back at the table we’d had breakfast at by herself. When she looked up and saw me, a bright smile lit up on her face and she waved me over.

  “Everything alright?” I asked.

  “I’m good, just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today? Mika and Ellen wanted to do some shopping, and I didn’t feel like joining.”

  “I was just about to go to the library if you want to come.”

  Nora smiled and hopped off her chair. Her feet fell at least a foot to the floor before she landed.

  “Do you know where the library is?” She asked as she took up a spot beside me.

  “No, I just accepted it was going to take a couple of hours to find it.” I replied.

  ~~~***~~~

  A grand archway flanked by two towers, whose peaks expanded outwards like umbrellas, cast the entrance to Dustreach’s library in shadow. Past the entrance, a long corridor building, flanked by gardens on the outside, led to a massive cylindrical tower dozens of stories tall and topped with a dome of oxidize copper.

  The climb from the street took us several minutes to make and halfway through, Nora switched to the ramp that zigzagged back and forth parallel to the stairs. When we finally got to the closed entry door to the library, I noticed the handle was at least five feet above my head, made of solid bronze, and sized for a giant’s palm.

  I took a step back to admire the door, with its leaping gazelle engraved into the darkly stained wood, and wondered who it could possibly be meant to serve, or if it was just another vanity project in a city that seemed full of them.

  “Hey Bran!” Nora called out and pointed to a series of three regularly sized arched doorways off to the left of the grand entrance. The doors never stayed shut for long, and people constantly flowed up and down a hidden set of stairs I assumed was meant for service workers or [Couriers]